Jon Krakauer, author and mountain climber, is hired by Outside Magazine to write an article about the commercialism on Mount Everest. Krakauer decides he wants to climb the mountain, and joins the most disastrous Everest expedition in history. Krakauer joins the climbing service called Adventure Consultants, guided by Rob Hall. The guide service is intended …
Summary The book begins in the middle of the story, when Krakauer reaches the summit of Everest. Beginning with chapter three, the rest of the chapters are structured in chronological order, following the ascent, summit and descent. Krakauer is at the top of the world, only he is “incapable of feeling much of anything except …
Summary Chapter two shifts away from Krakauer and covers the history of Everest and famous expeditions. It begins in the year 1852, in Dehra Dun, India—the time and place the myth of Everest was born. It was in this year that Indias surveyor general first calculated the height of Everest and realized that it was …
Summary This chapter begins Krakauers chronological narrative. He flies to Kathmandu, staring down at the Himalayan peaks. Krakauer sees the neighboring peaks first, and then Everest comes into view. If he summits, he will be nearly as high as he is right then, on the airplane. On the ground, Krakauer meets Andy Harris, one of …
Summary Krakauer covers the first days and nights of the trek in this chapter. They spend their first night in Phakding, a place close enough to the ground to sustain some homes and lodges. As they keep walking, they encounter Namche Bazaar, what Krakauer describ es as “Sherpa society.” The chapter explains and deconstructs the …
Summary During their next night at Lobuje, Hall calls on Harriss radio, announcing that they have successfully gotten Tenzing down the mountain. It took an entire day and thirty-five Sherpas to maneuver the injured man. Hall tells the rest of the group that they can make their way to Base Camp. They are glad to …
Summary Krakauers group remains at Base Camp, acclimatizing during this chapter. Keeping everyone (twenty-six team members in all) healthy proves to be a difficult feat, but Hall is a readily impressive guide. He constantly studies figures, data, information and schedules to be sure they do not encounter anything unexpected. The overview of their climbing strategy …
Summary Krakauer begins by talking about how Everest summons dreamers. Many of the people on his and other expeditions have even less climbing experience than he does. He harkens back to a 1947 expedition involving a Canadian named Earl Denman, who had very little mountain climbing experience. Denman didnt even have permission to enter Tibet, …
Summary On April 16, the group begins its second acclimatization climb from Base Camp to Camp One. Krakauer feels that he is getting used to the high altitude, although the Icefall remains daunting. The twelve-story block of ice is still there, looking even more precarious and ready to tumble. This time, Hall wants them to …
Summary The group goes on their last acclimatization trip in this chapter, from Camp Two to Camp Three, spending the night there, at 24,000 feet before returning to Base Camp. They leave Camp Two at 4:45 am, and the temperature is negative seven degrees Fahrenheit. Doug Hansen and Krakauer both awake feeling terrible—cold, exhausted and …